January has a reputation

New goals. New strategies. New systems. New energy. Sometimes all before you’ve even finished your first cup of coffee.

In the association world, the start of a new year often arrives with a familiar question: What are we going to do differently this year? But perhaps the more powerful question is this:

Who are we going to do it with?

Because before the plans, the platforms, or the perfectly mapped roadmaps, there is community. And community is where momentum actually comes from.

Community Is Not a “Nice to Have”

For years, community was treated as the softer side of associations. Important, yes, but often positioned behind strategy, governance, revenue or growth.

Now we know better.

Community is not the by-product of good work. It is the infrastructure that makes good work possible.

Strong communities:

• Help leaders sense-check decisions before they become mistakes
• Create shared language around challenges that feel isolating
• Turn change from something people resist into something they navigate together

In uncertain environments, community becomes the stabiliser. In times of growth, it becomes the accelerator.

The start of a new year isn’t really about wiping the slate clean. It’s about taking stock.

What did we learn? What did we carry that no longer fits? Where did connection make the biggest difference?

Associations don’t move forward because one person had a good idea in isolation. They move forward because ideas are shared, challenged, refined and strengthened through conversation.

Progress is rarely linear. It’s communal.

We often talk about engagement as something we need to generate. More events. More content. More touchpoints.

But engagement doesn’t start with activity. It starts with belonging.

When people feel:

• Seen rather than sold to
• Valued rather than extracted from
• Connected rather than managed

Engagement follows naturally.

This is especially important as members reassess where they invest their time and energy. Communities that feel transactional will struggle. Communities that feel human will endure.

Leadership Looks Different in Community

Community-led leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about holding space for better questions.

Leadership doesn’t need to be louder. It needs to be more connective.

If the year ahead feels complex, fast-moving, or uncertain, that’s not a signal to retreat into planning mode alone.

It’s an invitation to lean into community.

Ask:

• Who do we need around the table this year?
• Where can we create more peer-to-peer connection?
• How can we design experiences that make people feel part of something, not just invited to it?

Because when people feel connected, they show up differently. They share more. They contribute more. They stay longer.

The most resilient associations don’t begin the year with the perfect strategy. They begin with strong relationships. And from there, everything else becomes possible.